Ask Diamond! Can injury-plagued Michigan State make up for lost time?

Michigan State guard Denzel Valentine, right, talks to guard Branden Dawson during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014.AP Photo

EAST LANSING -- Welcome to
the final edition of Ask Diamond! On with the answer to this week's question:

Q: Izzo teams have a rep
for coming together and getting better as the year progresses. Given Appling,
Valentine and Schilling are the only 3 guys to play every game, how big
of an impact will that have come March? Can they make up the missed time?
-- TheATownAndDown

A: I think that this Tom Izzo team can make up for all those
lost games. That's because while this season has featured multiple Michigan
State lineups getting time on the court due to injuries and various issues, it
also affords Izzo the opportunity to work with different combinations and
figure out which ones work best. The Spartans can play a big lineup and win,
and a small lineup with a healthy Adreian Payne playing with his back to the
basket has proven to be very successful as well. The other key is that at least
as of today, none of the injuries appear to be serious. Payne's injury appears
to be a nagging one, but he's played through it earlier in the year and done
well. Gary Harris, Matt Costello and Travis Trice are on their way back to
regaining full strength. There's still a couple months to go before the
postseason, and right now, the Spartans are unbeaten after having weathered the
storm. Assuming they don't suffer any major issues going forward, there's
plenty of time for this team to truly come together.